Momentum

The high-level meeting between Sega and Sony was still fresh in everyone's minds when the two sides acted swiftly and quickly formed a joint organizing committee for the "Second Esports Tournament and DDR Global City Championship".

The elite teams dispatched by Sega and Sony were almost seamlessly integrated and immediately engaged in intense negotiations on the details of the cooperation.

At the same time, Sony Music President Shigeo Maruyama's promise is being translated into action at an astonishing speed.

Inside the Sony Music building, the recording studios and rehearsal rooms, which normally produce countless platinum records, were brightly lit at this moment.

Top choreographers were assembled, and they meticulously studied the combination of each beat and movement in the demonstration video of the DDR prototype.

An experienced team of lighting designers then began designing exclusive stage lighting effects for DDR, striving to maximize the visual impact.

Top music producers are carefully selecting the first batch of tracks suitable for DDR from Sony's vast music library.

The female idol group that Nakayama Takuya had previously specifically mentioned also received secret instructions from higher-ups.

With a slightly confused yet determined expression, the manager gathered the young women under her wing and began a secret training session for DDR.

Of course, the most perplexing were the Pokémon puppeteers who worked directly for Sega, bringing their costumes to Sony's lab to practice dancing.

This large-scale cross-industry collaboration involved numerous artists and production teams under Sony Music.

Furthermore, the frequent visits of Sega's R&D personnel eroded the project's confidentiality, causing it to crumble like thin ice under the warm spring sun.

"Have you heard? Sony seems to be planning something big with Sega."

"Yeah, it seems to be some kind of dancing arcade game. I heard the effects are amazing!"

Initially, this was just a whisper circulating within a very small circle of the gaming and music industries.

However, as more and more vague yet clearly pointed details were revealed, the rumors gradually grew from a small stream into a surging river.

"Sony Music's top producers have all been mobilized; it must be a top-tier project!"

"I heard that it's that Nakayama Takuya behind Sega again. That kid always manages to pull off something earth-shattering."

Editors from major gaming media outlets and music magazines, like sharks smelling blood, keenly detected this unusual movement.

Some mainstream financial media outlets have also begun to pay attention to the unusually close interaction between these two giants, attempting to interpret signals about the future direction of the industry.

Reporters were on a roll, running around, pulling strings, and seeking connections, all in an effort to uncover exclusive first-hand information about this mysterious project.

Sega and Sony's Public Relations Department were bombarded with calls and their inboxes were overflowing.

Following instructions from higher-ups, they neither confirmed nor denied the allegations, simply responding to the media's barrage of questions with standard diplomatic language.

This "controlled leak" was like a drop of water falling into a boiling oil pan, completely igniting the market's enthusiasm and curiosity, and creating a massive prelude to DDR's official debut.

Finally, an entertainment media outlet known for its keen sense of smell and bold approach took the most direct action after receiving reliable intelligence.

Reporters and photographers lurked like Cheetah in front of Sony Headquarters Building.

When the famous singer Akemi Ishibashi finished an event and walked out the door looking slightly tired, they immediately surrounded her.

The flash suddenly went off, illuminating Akemi Ishibashi's slightly surprised face, making it appear snow-white.

"Ms. Ishinabe! Are you involved in the new project that Sony and Sega are secretly developing?"

The reporter held the microphone almost to Akemi Ishii's mouth, asking questions that were direct and left no room for negotiation.

Akemi Ishinabe, being a Oba entertainer, quickly composed herself and flashed her usual professional smile.

"Ah, it's not convenient to disclose anything about work right now."

Her voice was still sweet, but it carried a hint of undeniable shrewdness.

"There are rumors that your 1986 Japan single sales champion, <CHA-CHA-CHA>, a national dance track, will be included in this new music and dance game. Is this true?"

The reporter was clearly prepared, immediately throwing out the most explosive topic.

<CHA-CHA-CHA>!

This song's melody is practically etched into the DNA of the Japan people.

Akemi Ishii's smile faltered slightly, and a barely perceptible tremor flickered in her eyes.

Instead of directly denying it, she cleverly avoided the core issue.

"Hehe, everyone really cares about my songs."

"Please wait for official announcements regarding the new project; we believe results will be available soon."

She gently pushed aside the microphone blocking her way and, escorted by her assistant, quickly walked towards the nanny van.

This short interview video, coupled with the reporter's embellished written report, spread rapidly like a virus in newspapers and television news.

Akemi Ishiba's "no denial" and "trade secret" statements were almost tantamount to an admission in the eyes of the anxiously waiting public.

"Oh my god! <CHA-CHA-CHA> is about to enter the game?!"

"If it's true, I definitely have to try it!"

"I'm going to learn to dance for <CHA-CHA-CHA>!"

At this moment, public anticipation for this mysterious arcade dance game was at its peak.

Many ordinary people who previously paid little attention to games began to focus their attention on the other side of the storm in the gaming industry, namely the Nintendo Headquarters conference room, because of this national hit song.

Information about the collaboration between Sega and Sony flooded the desks of top decision-makers.

Each report reveals a disturbing fact: this collaboration is not only unprecedented in scale, but Sony has also poured its most core music and entertainment resources into it.

Yamauchi Hiroshi listened silently to his subordinate's report.

"At Sony, Shigeo Maruyama personally took charge, mobilizing the resources of the entire record division."

"At Sega, the person in charge is still Nakayama Takuya, a man who repeatedly surprises people."

"Preliminary assessment suggests they are developing a revolutionary music and dance arcade game, and plan to use it as the core to host a global esports tournament."

The more detailed the intelligence, the more gloomy the hearts of Nintendo's top executives became.

Sega's innovative capabilities in the arcade game field have always been a thorn in their side.

Today, this formidable rival has surprisingly forged such a deep strategic partnership with Sony, a giant in the consumer electronics and entertainment content industry.

The energy it generates is far more complex than simply one plus one equals two.

They seemed to foresee that if this product succeeded, Sega's brand image would be greatly enhanced, and its R&D capabilities would take another leap forward.

This will undoubtedly provide Sega with even greater strength for its potential return to the home console market in the future.

What makes things even more difficult for them is that Sony, a behemoth, especially with Akio Morita, one of the "Four Saints of Management," at its helm, possesses a commercial influence and countermeasures that Nintendo cannot easily shake.

Any targeted attempts to obstruct business must be approached with extreme caution.

Taking rash action could backfire and even damage Nintendo's very foundation.

They watched helplessly as their competitors joined forces and gained immense momentum, only to find themselves caught in a state of helplessness, wanting to interfere and suppress them but hesitant to act for fear of harming them, and even unsure of where to begin.